Before Metamorphosis
by Jougetsu
Summary: When Doumeki met Watanuki, sparks flew.  Part of the Reincarnation Arc, but can be read as a standalone.


**Title:** Before Metamorphosis  
**Author:** Jougetsu  
**30 Romances Theme(s):** #20 Take it in your stride; Walk  
**Pairing/Characters:** DoumekixWatanuki  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Warnings:** No real spoilers for Xxxholic; Slash  
**Disclaimer:** Characters owned by Clamp and their associated publishers.  
**Summary:** When Doumeki met Watanuki, sparks flew.

**Notes:** Set before the manga series begins, in the boys' third year of middle school. Part of my sprawling Reincarnation Arc, though this particular piece does work as a stand-alone. Unbeta'd, any and all mistakes are mine. All names within the story are given Western style. Which is to say, given name first, followed by family name.

**Reincarnation Arc, earlier installments:**

"Awake" to all the members of Deep Connection. Everyone's passion for the series and support for each other have been the driving force behind getting me to sit down and write this story that has been stewing in my brain for over a year now.

xXxXxXx

The elementary school did not have an archery club, so while Shizuka took lessons at a dojo, track and field became his school activity. He liked running almost as much as he liked archery. Running didn't give him quite the same tranquility as kyuudou, but it helped a great deal when he needed to think, especially when it's important.

When his grandfather died, he ran countless blocks until his legs gave out.

He doesn't do that anymore. These days he likes to think that he can take things in stride.

Granted, the other important adults in his life were still alive. But, he's learned to head on over to the track or dojo when he needs to sort things out. And if the extra practice makes him that much better at either sport, so be it.

Early in middle school, he figured out pretty quickly that girls still failed to interest him. The surprise was finding that other boys were the attractive ones in his eyes. A few weeks and some intense hurdle training later, Shizuka concluded that yes, his same-sex desires were quite passionate and no, pretending otherwise wouldn't really help in the long-run. It didn't really alter the daily pattern of his life until a little later on when a team member suggested some mutual pleasure.

It wasn't uncommon for some boys to enjoy each other's company like that, but the emotional attachment, not to mention public displays, was looked down on. The affections he'd felt for an upperclassman or classmate ending up being fleeting, though he knew that one day it would be more than that. Whether he would boldly enter into an emotional and physical same-sex relationship or try to stifle romantic entanglements was part of a far-off future.

This was all well and good, until third year.

He's still trying to figure out exactly what happened. One day he woke up with a buzzing feeling in the back of his head, a pulse of indigo-colored energy. Something had changed, though he didn't know what.

It all started early that morning at track practice. Summer vacation had just ended and he was substituting for a recently injured classmate in their upcoming meet. Only of course, because it didn't interfere with archery club. After stretches, Coach called him over to meet the new transfer student.

"Shizuka Doumeki meet Kimihiro Watanuki. He just transferred to class 3-B and wants to join the team. You bring him up to speed while I help the second years with hurdles."

The new student was quite possibly the palest person Doumeki had ever seen, as if sunlight simply rolled off the poor boy. Inky-black hair framed a heart-shaped face and he sported glasses that made his eyes look positively owlish. He was skinny and even a little gangly for someone who was on the short side. Most of all he was nothing like Shizuka's usual dalliances, who were athletic and easy-going. Oddly enough, he couldn't help but find the awkward boy cute.

"Nice to meet you," Kimihiro bowed a little. While the tone was polite enough, his body language told another story altogether. His eyes begged for acceptance while his posture was all defiance.

And it was precisely that heady mix of yearning and insolence that awakened Doumeki's contrary side.

"You sure you can run with twigs like those?" Shizuka teased, ogling the boy's long, long legs.

He was right. Kimihiro was even cuter when he was angry.

"How dare you! What kind of arrogant jerk insults a new team member?"

Gods forgive him, he laughed. It was like watching an aggravated puppy.

"DON'T YOU LAUGH AT ME!"

Watanuki lunged, and Doumeki's only thought was that it might be nice to have the other boy pressed up against him, even if it was in rage. Unfortunately, or fortunately, Coach caught the snarling transfer student before he could properly choke Shizuka.

"Cool down, Watanuki. Another outburst and you're off the team. Go work on your sprint with Hokari."

One, two, three deep breaths later Watanuki finally stilled and glared daggers at his new-found enemy before heading to the other side of the track.

"You mind telling me what happened, Doumeki?"

It had been years since he was in trouble with a teacher and strangely enough, he found that he didn't care.

"I guess I hit a nerve, Coach."

"You're mostly quiet, but I know you got a smart mouth when you choose. Leave him alone and after this meet, stick with archery club."

"Yes, sir."

By the end of the school day, Doumeki learned a couple new things about his self-declared rival. The first of which was that he was an orphan, living with apartment managers as legal guardians. The second, and more intriguing, thing was that Kimihiro was one of the infamous Seven Wonders of his old school. Generally an even-tempered and kind-hearted boy, for no apparent reason he would go into unexpected fits that he refused to explain. It was said that he would shout and scream, twitching (often on the floor) like one possessed.

No doubt about it, the boy was an enigma.

Despite the fact that, at the shoe-lockers that afternoon, said enigma declared "I hate you, Shizuka Doumeki!," he felt happier than he had in a long time.

That night, Shizuka finally quit his habit of crossing days off the calendar, though he wasn't quite sure why.

xXxXxXx

In the following weeks, Doumeki dreamt of his grandfather for the first time since his death. What's more it seemed as though the man had an important message to relay to him. Only, he could never remember the exact content of the dreams upon waking. Even meditation sessions couldn't jog his memory.

After a month, Shizuka was able to recall individual phrases, but not their context.

_"Now that you've been reunited, things will be different."_

Reunited with whom?

_"You must become stronger in order to protect the both of you."_

Protect from what?

_"Before long, the transformation will begin."_

And just as suddenly as they'd begun, they stopped.

_"Without the Sight, it's difficult to enter your dreams with regularity and clarity."_

It was only after the dreams ended, Shizuka remembered that indigo was the color of Kimihiro's eyes.

xXxXxXx

**Before Metamorphosis**  
I know it seems silly to explain the title, but since I had such trouble with deciding on a title I'll give it some background. Early on in the manga, Yuuko takes Watanuki to a fortune teller. The symbol of his fortune is a butterfly, Yuuko's personal emblem and as the fortune teller relates, a potent symbol of change and transformation. It was in meeting Yuuko, that Watanuki begins his personal transformation. I would say that Doumeki's personal transformation in the series began, not when he met Watanuki, but when he became an active part of Watanuki's own transformation. So here, while meeting Watanuki is important, Doumeki's life has not yet begun to change. Hence it is "before metamorphosis."

**First Meeting**  
Watanuki claims in Volume Two that the two of them fought upon first meeting and that teacher(s) had to pull them apart. We know that Watanuki had not met Doumeki in elementary school, since he just began middle school when he said goodbye to his ghost friend. That leaves their first meeting somewhere between first year middle school and sometime before second year high school when the manga begins. I chose third year middle school.

**Track and Field Team**  
I could have sworn that at one point in the manga, one of the boys mentioned being on the track team when he was younger. While I don't have all my volumes present, I have come to the conclusion that I was likely mistaken, but the idea was too much fun to let go.

**Kyuudou**

Traditional Japanese archery that Doumeki practices in the manga.

**Seven Wonders**  
It's not unusual for Japanese school children to compile a list of "seven wonders" in their school. Generally these wonders are rumored mysterious phenomenon, which can include ghost sightings, strange lights or noises in particular places/at particular times, and that of the like. In anime and Japanese children's programming, a "Let's investigate our school's seven wonders!" is common filler material. The anime "Haunted Junction" showcases seven stereotypical school wonders such as a science classroom skeleton that comes to life, a haunted swimming pool, and toilet ghosts.

**Shoe-lockers**  
Japanese schools have cubbies/lockers for students to place their outdoor shoes and put on in-school slippers.

**The Sight**  
Second sight, the ability to see spirits. Until the Eye Incident in the manga, Doumeki lacks the Sight. Since Haruka seems to be able to enter Watanuki's dreams quite frequently, I using Watanuki's stronger connection to the spirit world as the reason Haruka/Seito is able to enter Watanuki's dreams clearly & regularly, but not Doumeki's.


End file.
